GoldenEye (1995)

UK, 1995
130m
35mm film, Panavision (anamorphic), Rankcolor, 2.35:1
Dolby Digital, DTS
English, Russian

A British science fiction film directed by Martin Campbell.

Plot Summary

Several years after the death of his colleague, Alec Trevelyan, 006, James Bond finds himself investigating the theft of a new battlefield helicopter by the Janos group, an offshoot of the Russian mafia. He also has to track down the stolen Goldeneye, a powerful electro-magnetic pulse weapon and. along the way, is reunited with a face from his past…

Credits

* = uncredited

Crew
Director: Martin Campbell
Eon Productions
Executive Producer: Tom Pevsner
Producers: Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli
Associate Producer: Anthony Waye
Screenplay: Jeffrey Caine, Bruce Feirstein; Kevin Wade *
Story: Michael France
Characters: Ian Fleming
Director of Photography: Phil Meheux
Editor: Terry Rawlings
Music/Synthesizer Score Produced and Performed by: Eric Serra
Goldeneye Performed by: Tina Turner
Sound Recording: David John
Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming
Make-up Supervisor: Linda Devetta
Hair: Jan Jamison
Special Effects Supervisor: Chris Corbould
Production Designer: Peter Lamont

Cast
Pierce Brosnan (James Bond)
Sean Bean (Alec Trevelyan)
Izabella Scorupco (Natalya Fyodorovna Simonova)
Famke Janssen (Xenia Zaragevna Onatopp)
Joe Don Baker (CIA Agent Jack Wade)
Judi Dench (M)
Robbie Coltrane (Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky)
Tchéky Karyo (Defense Minister Dimitri Mishkin)
Gottfried John (Colonel/General Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov)
Alan Cumming (Boris Grishenko)
Desmond Llewelyn (Q)
Samantha Bond (Miss Moneypenny)
Michael Kitchen (Intelligence Officer Bill Tanner)
Serena Gordon (Caroline)
Simon Kunz (Severnaya duty officer)
Pavel Douglas (French warship captain)
Cmdt. Olivier Lajous (French warship officer)
Billy J. Mitchell (Admiral Chuck Farrell)
Constantine Gregory (computer store manager)
Minnie Driver (Irina)

Alternative Titles

007 ja kultainen silmä – Finnish title
Aranyszem – Hungarian title
James Bond 007 – GoldenEye – German title

Sequel to
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Octopussy (1983)
A View to a Kill (1985)
The Living Daylights (1987)
Licence to Kill (1989)

Sequels
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Die Another Day (2002)
Casino Royale (2006)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Skyfall (2012)
Spectre (2015)
No Time to Die (2021)

See also
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000)
Casino Royale (1967)
Goldeneye (1997)
Happy Anniversary 007: 25 Years of James Bond (1987)
Never Say Never Again (1983)
Ninja Mission 2000 (2000)
Spy Hard (1996)

Extracts included in
007… The Return (1995)
The James Bond Story (1999)
Premiere Bond: Die Another Day (2002)
A Very British UFO Hoax (2003)
The World of 007 (1995)

Production Notes

Pre-production
On 12 April 1994, Timothy Dalton settled much press speculation when he announced that he wouldn’t be returning to play James Bond in the new film. Pierce Brosnan was informed that he had won the part on 1 June and introduced to the press one week later in the 8th at the official press launch and photo call at London’s Regent Hotel.

Production
On 16 January 1995, Brosnan arrived at GoldenEye‘s home, the converted Rolls Royce factory at Leavesden Airfield. Filming has been delayed by a week following an injury to Brosnan’s hand. His first scene is his meeting with Robbie Coltrane as Valentin Zukovsky. On the 22nd of the month, the press arrived at Leavesden for their first on-set press call. 400 journalists descend on the location, reflecting the character’s enduring appeal.

Judi Dench began work at Leavesden on 7 February, the first of three days shooting her scenes as the new M. Brosnan admits to having been “terrified” of her, though his nerves were soon settled when it turned out that she was just as nervous. Desmond Llewelyn arrived three days later for his customary outing as Q. Unaware of the prescience of his words, Brosnan notes that acting alongside the much loved Llewelyn makes him feel “as if I am a different character in a different film today – like a John Cleese farce.”

The casino scenes were filmed on sets built at Leavesden on the 13th before the crew set sail for Port de Monaco, Monte Carlo where they were due to start work on the 27th, but poor weather hampered their attempts to film the mountainside car chase between Bond and Onatopp. Scenes of Bond aboard the speedboat in the harbour were also delayed.

On 13 March stunt double Eunice Huthart stood in for Famke Janssen to film Onatopp’s death scene and the following day Sean Bean arrived to begin his work as treacherous agent 006, Alec Trevelyan. His first scenes were in the chemical factory set. On the same day, The publicity department told Brosnan that his poster credit will be more reminiscent of Connery than Moore – Pierce Brosnan is James Bond, as opposed to Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. It’s a busy day for Brosnan who also has to sit for the wax modelers from Madame Tussaud’s who are at Leavesden to start work on his figure. After a lengthy measuring session, Brosnan writes on the guest book: “You missed one measurement. But… ah. never mind!”

4 April marked Alec Cumming’s turn to make his Bond debut, as Russian computer programmer Boris. On the 24th of the month, the main unit relocates to the Queen’s Stand at Epsom Racecourse in Surrey which is to stand in for the entrance to St Petersburg Airport.

May found Bean and Brosnan filming their climactic fight atop the Cuban radio dish on the 16th. That night, Brosnan, who was 42 that day, appeared in front a live audience to tape a segment of David Letterman’s late night chat show which was being taped in London. He was reluctant to appear but with an audience of 30 million, it was too good a publicity opportunity to miss.

By 22 May things weren’t going so well. The main unit was having problems completing the control centre scenes while the second unit were trying to repair one of the many Lada cars seen during the tank chase that had become damaged. Brosnan did the sensible thing and retired to a local pub. Three days later He and Bean continued to film their fist fight. Brosnan’s injured hand caused him problems during the scene where he slides down a ladder.

The crew received a visit from Roger Moore, nursing a knee injury sustained while filming in Thailand, on 1 June. He was there to see his son Christian, who was working as a third assistant director. He told Brosnan “I’ve been called up. They said ‘We’ve seen the results on poor old Brosnan, so get the knee right and you’re back in the job.'” Moore watched as Brosnan filmed part of the tank chase sequence through the streets of St Petersburg.

References

Periodicals

  • American Cinematographer December 1995 pp.34-44, 46-48, 50, 52 – illustrated article
  • Broadcast 13 September 1996 p.13 – note
  • Cinefantastique vol.,27 no.3 (December 1995) pp.14-25 – illustrated article
  • Cinefantastique vol.29 no.9 (January 1998) pp.23-25 – illustrated article
  • Cinema 21 December 1995 – review (by Heiko Rosner)
  • Cinescape June 1996 pp.66-67 – illustrated article
  • Cinefantastique October 1995 pp.6-7 – illustrated article
  • Dreamwatch no.17 p.44 – review
  • Empire December 1995 pp.37; 84-108 – illustrated review (by Kim Newman), credits, synopsis; illustrated article
  • Empire March 1996 p.16 – illustrated article
  • Empire June 1996 p.114 – illustrated review (by Ian Nathan)
  • Eyepiece December/January 1995/1996 p.23 – letter
  • Film Francais 8 December 1995 p.8 – illustrated short article
  • Film Francais 22 December 1995 p.8 – iilustrated short article
  • FilmMagasinet December/January 1995/1996 p.37 – review (by Erlend Eskeland)
  • Film Review January 1996 p.18 – review (by Anwar Brett)
  • Films in Review January/February 1996 p.63 – illustrated review (by Victoria Alexander)
  • Imágenes February 1996 p.115 – review (by Ruiz De Villalobos)
  • Media Week 1 December 1995 p.6 – illustrated short article
  • Premiere January 1996 p.24 – review (by Eric Libiot)
  • Premiere December 1995 p.15 – illustrated review (by David Eimer)
  • Premiere December 1995 pp.67-68 – illustrated article
  • Premiere April 1996 pp.61-62 – illustrated article (by Corie Brown)
  • Radio Times 6 March 1999 p.49 – illustrated review
  • Score Filmmuziek Magazine December 1995 p.15 – illustrated short article
  • Screen International 12 January 1996 p.6 – illustrated note
  • Screen International 16 February 1996 p.5 – note
  • Sight & Sound December 1995 pp.10-13 – illustrated article
  • Sight & Sound January 1996 pp.39-40; 63 – illustrated credits, synopsis, review (by Jose Arroyo); soundtrack review (by Mark Kermode)
  • Starburst no.208 (December 1995) pp.12-15; 33; 50-53 – illustrated interview; illustrated review (by Alan Jones), illustrated interview
  • Starburst no.209 (January 1996) pp.14-16 – illustrated interview
  • Starburst no.213 (May 1996) p.54 – illustrated note
  • Total Film no.72 (January 2003) p.38 – question and answer
  • Vox April 1995 pp.118-119 – illustrated review

Newspapers

  • Diario de Noticias, Viver 8 December 1995 – review (ny Jose De Matos-Cruz)
  • O Independente Vida 7 December 1995 – illustrated interviews with Pierce Brosnan, Famke Janssen and Izabella Scorupco (by Rui Henriques Coimbra); review (by Paulo Nogueira)
  • Svenska Dagbladet 8 December 1995 – review (Bond -95 en förhållandevis god årgång by Jan Söderqvist)

Books

  • The Making of GoldenEye – illustrated production notes (by Garth Pearce)